


In the Name of Mercy

by Aeruthin



Series: The Originals - Daemons AU [1]
Category: The Originals (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Animal Death, Child Abuse, Daemon Prejudice, Daemon Settling, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, Pre-Canon, Sibling Bonding, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-18 08:20:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21991114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeruthin/pseuds/Aeruthin
Summary: "She has settled?" Elijah whispers."We didn't mean to," Klaus says, his voice small. "We never...""I'm sorry," Eira whimpers, her ears pressed down.When Klaus' daemon finally settles, not everyone is pleased with her form.
Relationships: Elijah Mikaelson & Klaus Mikaelson, Esther Mikaelson & Klaus Mikaelson, Klaus Mikaelson & Rebekah Mikaelson, Mikael & Klaus Mikaelson
Series: The Originals - Daemons AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1583035
Comments: 2
Kudos: 56





	In the Name of Mercy

**Author's Note:**

> Eira (Old Norse [Eir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eir)) - mercy, protection  
> Ragna (Old Norse [Ragn-](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ragna)) - counsel, advice  
> Frey ([Old Norse-](https://www.etymonline.com/word/Frey#etymonline_v_50722)) - lord  
> Gunhild ([Germanic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunhild)) - War
> 
> I've talked about this on [tumblr](https://aeruthien.tumblr.com/post/188152394357/aeruthien-ok-so-hear-me-out-the-originals-his) as well. Come say hi!

The forest smells like rotten leaves and fresh rain, and Klaus enjoys every moment of it. The traps they set out will be full with small game like rabbits, and he intends to take his time checking all of them. 

Eira is flying through the tree tops above him in the shape of a sparrow, twisting this way and that, enjoying her freedom, as happy as he is to be free of their home for a while. In mid air, she shifts into a hawk, an owl and back into a sparrow. They are the oldest of the children in the village with an unsettled daemon. Klaus has tried to ignore his father's disappointed and disgusted look. He likes the way his daemon is able to change shape at will. 

She flies down to him, her excitement flowing into him through their bond.

"I saw some deer," she says. She changes into a squirrel and races up his legs and arm, perching on his shoulder. She puts her paws together nervously.

"Where?" 

Deer don't often venture close to the village, but Klaus had heard talk that the river is flooded due to the spring rain. Maybe they had not been able to find a way across. 

"To the east."

Away from the traps, then. Klaus touches the arrows in the quiver on his back. He had brought his bow just in case, but now an opportunity to use it presented itself, he isn't quite sure what to do.

"We could go for it," he says. "Show them what we can do."

"We won't be able to get to the traps," Eira says, jumping down and turning into a dog. She walks back and forth, her tale wagging anxiously. 

"Father will be angry," she adds softly.

Klaus bites his lip. 

"We're going," he decides, and starts walking in the direction she has pointed out. Eira follows at his heels, her head low. When she catches the deer's scent, though, she moves in front of him, confidently leading the way. 

They spot the deer shortly after the sun reaches her highest point, earlier than he expected. Eira changes her form to match that of her prey, which helps mask his scent. He carefully tensions the bow and takes out three arrows, his heart hammering.

One arrow nocked, the others in his hand, he slowly but surely crawls forward, hiding behind a fallen tree. Eira steps next to him, her large ears picking up any sound. When she stops, he halts as well. They are quite far of still, but the fallen tree is now blocking his path, and going around it would make too much sound. 

_You should have anticipated this, boy!_ he can hear his father's angry voice in his head. He grimaces, but also remembers his brother's supplement. _Work with what you've got._ The tree had covered him thus far. 

He stands. He breathes in deeply and draws the bow. Eira has changed next to him, mirroring his brother's lioness-daemon. Her ears and eyes are fixed on the closest deer, which is eating obliviously to the danger.

Klaus releases the arrow. With a tang, it locks into the animal's hind leg. It jumps away, and instantly, the whole herd is on the move. Klaus curses, but Eira is already rushing after them, her strong legs propelling her forward. Klaus has no choice but to follow.

He jumps over the log, nearly trips, but stumbles onward. In front of him, the wounded deer is limping, falling further behind it's kin. Eira changes to a wolf and snaps at it. It dodges her teeth, and turns back towards Klaus. He places himself in its path, his arms wide. It jumps away from him, but Eira has anticipated it. Her jaws close around the deer's hind leg. 

It stumbles and Eira follows it to the ground. Klaus is seconds behind her and grabs the writhing animal, trying to dodge the flying hooves. One hits his shoulder and he grits his teeth, but refuses to let go. Eira readjusts her grip, and Klaus manages to grab his knife. He plunges it into the deer's neck. Its warm blood washes over his hands.

It takes a few breaths for the deer to stop struggling, and another couple for it to go completely still. Klaus is breathing heavily, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. It has gone by so fast, that he can't believe he did it. 

He looks at Eira, and sees the same wonder and excitement reflected in her eyes. He grins, and slowly lets go. Eira mirrors his movement and lifts her head proudly, blood colouring her muzzle. Her grey fur shines bright in the sunlight, and she looks beautiful.

Realisation washes over them in a cold wave.

Eira freezes, and Klaus stares at her, a pool of dread stirring in his stomach. 

"Eira," he says, "Eira, change."

Eira cowers down and backs away, her ears pressed down. The light in her eyes is replaced by fear. 

"I can't..."

Klaus jumps up. "Change!" he shouts at her, pleads with her.

She flinches and trembles. Klaus sinks down on his knees, tears on his face. He pulls her close and buries his head in her fur.

"I'm sorry," she repeats, again and again and again.

  


* * *

  


The bark of the tree falls away easily under Elijah's strokes. The work is methodological, and soon Elijah loses himself in the rhythm. Ragna, his lioness-daemon, is dozing in the sun nearby, her ears flicking back and forth to dispel the flies. She is more alert than she seems though, and she notices the rustling of the leaves in the forest before he does.

Elijah looks up as she stands, her gaze trained into the forest, her body tense. The possibility of danger is low, but Elijah holds the axe ready any ways. It was the first lesson their father had taught them: always be on your guard.

But Ragna relaxes, and sure enough, he sees Niklaus appearing in between the trees. Elijah steps forward to greet his younger brother, who had been send outside to check up on the various traps for small game, but frowns when Niklaus moves closer.

His belt is conspicuously absent of rabbits or duck, and Eira, his brother's daemon, trails far behind him, almost as far away as she can. Automatically, Elijah's mind flashes towards their father, and a spike of worry shoots through him.

"Niklaus?"

Niklaus has stopped, his eyes wide and glassy. His hands are clutched into fists at his side, and it is clear that he is fighting back tears. Elijah closes the distance, quickly taking in his brother's state. There are no new bruises on his face, nor does he seem to be in any pain, but his hands are covered in blood. 

Elijah carefully reaches out and places his hand against Klaus' neck. 

"What happened?" he asks quietly, his chest painfully tight. Niklaus swallows but doesn't answer.

Understanding and shock flow into him through his connection with Ragna, who is standing next to Eira. Niklaus' daemon is in the form of a wolf, and is shivering badly, her head held low. Niklaus closes his eyes, and fresh tears roll over his cheeks. 

"She has settled?" Elijah whispers. Elijah only saw wolf-daemons during the annual meeting between the villages. They were unique to the werewolves living in the neighbouring village, and Mikael always warned them to stay away. Eira had dared to take on a wolf form once, when Niklaus was younger, and Mikael's bear-daemon Gunhild had grabbed her by the neck and shaken her so violently that Elijah had been afraid that it would snap.

"We didn't mean to," Klaus says, his voice small. "We never..." 

"I'm sorry," Eira whimpers, her ears pressed down. 

The guilt on Eira's face is almost too much to bear. Elijah pulls Klaus into a hug, holding him close, and Ragna presses her nose into Eira's fur. His mind is spinning with possibilities, but none of them could avert the inevitable confrontation with their father.

He pulls back. "I'll find Mother. Stay here."

He moves away, towards the village. Ragna only follows when the distance between them is too much.

  


* * *

  


Klaus sits down, Eira nearby but too far away to touch, curling into himself, too exhausted to keep standing. 

He has left the deer where he killed it, as an offer to the wild animals. They would take it with more gratitude than his father would. He had considered staying there and let the animals take him as well, but he knew that sooner or later, his mother would come looking. He would not be able to escape her magic.

Elijah returns with their mother in tow. Her starling-daemon lands in front of Eira and chirps softly. Fresh tears well up in Klaus' eyes at the pity he feels floating through his bond with her, and angrily he wipes them away.

"Oh, my boy," Esther says. She kneels down in front of him and places her hands on his cheeks. One hand trails down and rests on for a moment on the starling necklace on his chest, close to his heart. Then she lifts her head in determination.

"Your father is waiting in the village," she says.

Klaus freezes. "Now?" he whispers. "Mother I can't..."

"We better get this over with," she says, standing up again. "Come on."

She turns away, and Klaus looks helplessly at Elijah, but his brother can do nothing except hold out his hand and help him up.

The walk to the village feels like a funeral procession. Eira trails behind him, Ragna at her side, while Elijah is close to his right. Rebekah joins them half way through, Henrik's hand in hers, but Klaus can't spare them a glance. He can barely breathe, and has to focus on just putting one foot in front of the other.

Mikael is talking to one of the other villagers, but turns around when Esther approaches him. Klaus freezes, and Eira lowers herself to the ground, making herself as small as possible. Elijah's hand closes around his wrist in silent support.

Mikael frowns, and Gunhild's massive head turns towards them. Esther places a hand on his arm, but Mikael pulls away from her and stalks forward. His gaze is fixed on Eira.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Mikael, Niklaus can not help this," Esther says, one step behind him, her tone pleading.

Klaus lifts his head as Mikael stops in front of him, refusing to back down, even though he can't speak a word.

Gunhild approaches Eira and sniffs, her lips curling. Ragna places herself in between them, but she flinches back as the bear-daemon raises herself on her hind legs and lets out a roar.

"She settled... AS A WOLF?" 

Mikael grabs Klaus' shirt, his anger exploding. Klaus' breath catches, and the world stops around him. His father's lips move, so close to his face that he can see the spit flying, but he doesn't hear the sounds. 

As if from a distance, he sees Elijah anxiously mouthing their father's name, and sees his head snap away and his eyes grow wide when Ragna barely avoids Gunhild's downward strike. 

Mikael's slap sends Klaus to the ground, the pain resetting the world. Mikael's insults slur together in an angry cacaphony, and it is only moments before the first kick hits his ribs. 

Eira whimpers as Klaus curls up. She is struggling against Gunhild's large paw, feebly and weakly. Klaus lets the hits wash over him, never moving his gaze away from her. 

Finally, it stops. Klaus stays on the ground. Eira is still pinned beneath Gunhild's paw.

"Stand up, boy!"

Klaus struggles upright. He makes it to his knees. With each movement, pain washes over him, but he manages to lift his head and stare up at his father.

Mikael looks down. "If you want to be a beast, we should treat you like a beast."

A white hot anger flares through him, and he hates him, hates Mikael for hurting and belittling him over and over again, and he hates his mother, for allowing it to happen. But it drains away as quickly as it has come, leaving him just exhausted.

Mikael shakes his head in disgust. "You can't even defend yourself."

He stalks away. Gunhild follows after a final push against Eira. The villagers, who have gathered to watch the spectacle, stand aside to let him pass, their daemons cowering. 

Klaus pushes himself to his feet, ignoring the pain, and turns away from their pitiful stares. One hand pressed to his ribs, he stumbles away.

  


* * *

  


Frey hovers above her as Rebekah steps through the trees. Nik can't have gone far, but there are many hiding spots nearby the village. Luckily, she has used most of them herself.

There. Frey swoops down, and Rebekah jogs after him, easily dancing over the uneven ground. 

Nik is sitting with his back against a tree, Eira on the ground in front of him, his head against his knees. Eira's ears twitch as she approaches, and she can see him glance at her from beneath his arms.

"You need to drink this," Rebekah states without preamble. She squats down next to him and holds out the potion their mother gave her. Frey turns into a cat. 

"It will help with the pain."

Nik turns his head away from her. Frey places his paws on Eira's snout, but has to jump away as she snaps at him. It is without real intent, though, so Rebekah ignores it. 

"I asked Mother to make it extra vile," she says, jingling the small bottle in front of his nose.

"Why would you do that?" he huffs, and Rebekah smiles. 

"Potions have to be. It makes them work better."

"That must be one of Kol's tricks." Nik lifts his head and takes the bottle from her. Rebekah winces as he gulps it down. He must be in real pain to accept it so quickly. Nik pulls an exaggerated face, and Rebekah giggles. 

"See?"

She sits down for real, pulling her legs beneath her. Frey settles down next to Eira, pressing close and purring softly.

"I think she looks lovely," Rebekah says. Nik glances at her, but immediately looks away. He stands abruptly, trying to hide the tears in his eyes. He only sways a little. Good.

Frey stands, his tail in the air.

"Bet you can't catch me no more, though," he teases, and trots away from Eira.

Without warning, Eira bounces after him, but Frey had expected it, and he changes quickly into a swallow, shooting from her grasp. Rebekah scrambles upright at the sudden excitement, while Nik turns around and smirks. 

"Think again, little Sister."

Once in the air, Frey shifts into a bigger falcon. Before, Eira would have changed too and chased him in the air. She huffs, her tail wagging, while Frey hovers just out of reach.

Rebekah crosses her arms, mirroring her brother's smirk.

"You were sayi-- aaah!"

Eira has taken a big jump and gotten hold of Frey's tail feathers. Frey squeaks as he is pulled down. Rebekah grabs Nik's arm in retaliation, but he is stronger and bigger than she is and easily pulls her against him.

She struggles, her squeals joining her daemon's as he starts tickling her. She manages to turn around and hits his chest with her fists. 

"Rebekah, stop," Nik laughs, "owh, that hurts."

He grabs her wrists and holds them still. Rebekah sticks out her tong. 

"You cheated," Frey says haughtily. He is back in the form of a cat, his fur ruffled.

"Did not!" Eira says, her head held high.

"Did too!" 

"Glad to see that you two are enjoying yourselves."

Both daemons flinch at the voice, but it's only her other big brother leaning against a tree nearby, his arms crossed. Nik releases her, and she steps away from him.

"He started it," she says.

Elijah tilts his head and narrows his eyes. "Somehow, I doubt that."

Rebekah looks down sheepishly as he walks over. Elijah turns to Nik. He hesitates before placing his hand on Nik's shoulder, a silent question in his eyes. Nik lifts his chin and swallows. 

Rebekah stills, and Frey jumps up into her arms. She presses her nose into his fur, anxiously looking back and forth between her brother's daemons. 

Eira is tense, her chest pushed forward and all playfulness gone, not even her tail moving. Ragna holds her head and shoulders low, keeping her body as non threatening as possible.

Eira jumps forwards, and Rebekah flinches. But Eira just grabs Ragna's ear, and pulls at it playfully before twisting away. Ragna yelps and ducks, making herself even smaller, but huffs and swats after Eira in annoyance when another attack does not follow. The wolf-daemon has already danced out of reach, tail wagging.

Elijah gives Nik a gentle shove, and Rebekah relaxes again. Frey changes into a gyrfalcon and flies up from her arms, circling above them. 

They would be alright. They always were.


End file.
